Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

Andrew Bynum says he has no regrets in putting off surgery

May 22, 2010 | 7:14
pm

Lakers center Andrew Bynum shares your cynicism. When he learned he had torn cartilage in his right knee before the Lakers' Western Conference semifinal series against Utah, he became aware that eventually surgery would be required. He couldn't help but remember how long of a process it took for him to bounce back from previous injuries.

He missed 46 games in the 2007-08 season as well as the entire postseason because of a left-knee injury. He had also missed 32 games last season because of a right-knee injury. And he wondered how long he'd actually be out this year had he opted for surgery.

"They said I could do surgery now, but I said I didn't know how long it would take to get my strength back," Bynum said. "That takes time. I've been through that. You keep making promises and then people get anxious and wonder why you're not coming back early enough. I wanted to avoid that and just play and take care of it when I have the time."